I have been reading a lot of reviews from people who have not played this game yet. They are already giving it outstanding reviews based only on still images or short previews.

Those samplings do not do this game justice. It is all that you think it is going to be and more! Nothing short of outstanding!

Everything from the atmosphere to the basics of the game play are phenomenal. The visual and auditory definition are a great testament to what the XBox is capable of. The detail in 5.1 Surround blew me away!

• from

I'm sorry to say this to all the PS2 zealots out there. Solid Snake has been knocked off the pedestal by Sam Fisher, the hero of Splinter Cell. You, the player, control Sam Fisher.He is a member of the SAS and was sent in by Third Echelon to descover the whereabouts of Agents Blaustein and Madison. Only to descover new things. There are many plot twists to keep you entertained.
The best part about this game is the graphics. The night-vision builds huge amounts of tension and the thermal effects are breathtaking. Although these are good, the best and most important part of Splinter cell is the shadows. They are needed to hide in so that enemies aren't aware of your presence. You can shoot out lights so that you can hide bodies. They also look fantastic. Never has a shadow been cast so well in a videogame.
The movement of Sam is very straight forward. He can sprint,walk and sneak. However, guards can be alerted of Sam's presence by the sounds that he makes. One of the small things that Sam does is called the split jump. He can do this to get above enemies in narrow corridors only for them to helplessly walk under him. You can then release San from the corridor to land on the guard.
The clever use of gadgetry in Splinter Cell is another key factor. There are lots of gadgets but i'll just mention my favourite. It is called the Diversion Cam and can be fired to any surface by using his F2000. You can then make a noise to alert nearby foes. They will look at the camera and at that point you let out some gas which incapacitate them.
This is just a small part of Splinter Cell. There are many things in the final game that i couldn't mention because on some puzzles you need them. However good a game is there is always one problem. With Halo it was too hard (Legendary) and with Splinter Cell you need a lot of patience. Because of this the game can become a bit linear. Apart from that it is the third best game on Xbox. After Halo, Unreal Championship respectively.

• from

This is a great game for people who want a challenge.
The only problem is it doesn't have a multiplayer.

• from

I have been a game junky from the begining starting with Mario Bros. I have played many games promoted by friends and so forth but up till now have yet found one game that actually challenged all of my senses. Tom Clancys Splinter Cell has done just that. I have seen the future of games and I am impressed. The graphics and attention to detail has left me gasping for more. And so saying I must thank Tom Clancy and the creators of the game itself Ubisoft for bringing the gameing world into the future.

• from

I thought Halo was as good as it gets, I was wrong, Splinter Cell rules over all other X-Box titles. This is the most realistic game I have ever played, and I've played every console out there since Pong. This is only the second time I have given 5 stars to a game (the other was Goldeneye on N64).
So realistic that while I was playing I caught myself whispering to my wife who was sitting next to me, so the guys with the next room with the guns wouldn't hear.

Incredibly Detailed Graphics - the shadowing is better than any i've ever seen.

Great Controls - very accurate, no glitches, or having to pound a button several times to get the reaction you want.

Great Gameplay - enough of a challenge at normal level to keep you comming back, and not so hard you want to quit.

Very detailed plot, and great cut scenes - not to much that you get tired of seeing them, and they play in great with the realism factor.

If you love shooters, this one is a must own. I would have bought the entire system if it only had this game. Great Job.

• from

totally awesome. my favorite game ever. the sound is revolutionary, the graphics are top notch, it is so real you'll freak. although, the PS2 version has four extra levels and thirty minutes of impressive new dialoge and cinematics, so i would buy the PS2 version if I were you. A must own for every gamer. it will change your life.

• from

Splinter cell is an example of one of those games that makes a system a "player". While the xbox is already a player, this game enhances a system that is in my opinion the best ever made. Fluent graphics and awesome frame rates adorn this game, which gives the player a sense of reality to the game. It makes you think that you are actually Sam Fisher on a top secret mission somewhere in an undisclosed location. I have been playing video games for a long time, and this is one of the best examples of how video games should be made that i have ever seen.

• from

REMEMBER PERFECT DARK FOR N64? I STILL HAVE IT AND IT MY FAV. GAME ON N64. WHY AM I COMPARING PERFECT DARK TO SPLINTER CELL? WELL, TO ME SPLINTER CELL SOUNDS A LIL BIT LIKE PERFECT DARK. AND I WOULD LOVE TO FIND OUT THAT TOM CLANCY AND RARE ARE OR WOULD CONSIDER WORKING ON A SEQUEL FEATURING JOANNA DARK AND SAM FISHER. IF THEY WOULD THEY SHOULD MAKE IT SO YOU CAN SWITCH BACK AND FORTH ON THE FLY JUST LIKE IN RESIDENT EVIL ZERO AND MAKE THE ENVIROMENTS AND WORLDS LIKE THEY WERE WITH ELDER SCROLLS 3 AND MAKE THE GRAPHICS ENGINE BASED ON DEAD OR ALIVE 3. THIS IS MY DREAM GAME FROM TOM CLANCY AND RARE. I HOPE THEY THINK ABOUT THIS IDEA. HOW COOL WOULD IT BE IF THEY DID MAKE THIS GAME?????

• from

Splinter Cell is another masterpiece in the Tom Clancy game series. The graphics are not only eye candy, but are also the key to making this game the hit that it is. The gameplay revolves around the graphics, mainly the lighting and shadow effects made possible by Xbox's graphical superiority. You hide in the shadows to stay hidden from your enemies. You have a variety of gadgets at your disposal to help you while exercising the "fifth freedom," which enables you to protect the other freedoms held by US citizens. The camera system, unlike many other games, works great. You can do a variety of moves, such as a split jump between two narrow walls or grabbing an unsuspecting person from behind and using them as a human shield. Although the gameplay is linear, you actually have a lot of freedom and get to choose the way you execute the mission. The gadgets are great. They range from the signature night-vision goggles to cameras that you can shoot from your gun. This is much more than a shooter. Shooting is just a small part of the equation. This game is very unique and very addicting. Although it can be very challenging at times, this is a very fun game that is really going places. If you love the Tom Clancy books, then you'll love the storyline, too- it's classic Tom.

• from

This is easily the best game I have EVER seen for any console! The game play is magnificent. Sure there are small bugs, like body's heads disappearing into walls and your feet looking like they are floating in space, but neither of those issues really effect the game or the game play.

I have read a few critiques and I have seen how people are complaining about how things are rather linear and you have to do things in specific ways. However in all of the examples they have given I accomplished the task in a different method. For instance, the cooks that you have to get rid of, I took the bottle and threw it into the open door for the walk in cooler, wehn they went to investigate the noise, then I snuck around them and into the next room.....not too tough and just took a little thinking outside of the box. That is how this game works.

It is obvious that many people worked on this game, because the possibilities and methods to produce these outcomes seem endless. I am not going to be ridiculous and claim that it is the perfect game, because there is no such thing, but it is absolutely amazing. Yes it is slowed paced, but that is good because it allows you to take in the scenery of an amazing game. However take it from one who has learned, keep the telephones a little distance away, because the phone ringing can make you jump at those quiet, stealthy, inopportune times.....thus making for a really bloody Sam Fisher, and you being really pissed at your caller.

• from

This game is really cool. I enjoy killing people who are innocent and then hiding them then waiting for more people to walk by and spring the trap.

• from

This is the best game Xbox has to offer with a 9.6/10.0 from the Official Xbox magazine it is the highest rating ever given to an xbox game EVEN BETTER THAN HALO!(9.5/10.0). I bought this game and was amazed at the incredible graphics, great gameplay, and cool gadgets, this is a must have for any Xbox owner.

• from

This game has awsome graphics and you stay at the edge of your seat. Then you can only set off a certain number of alarms until you fail and sometimes you can't set off any alarms. Health is hard to come by and you have to be careful. You can't just run in and gun everyone down. You have to aim or you'll probably miss and then shot to death. Also how you make shadows move is cool and how you can use it to hide is cool.

• from

this game is extremly realistic from the graphics to the gameplay to the A.i. A guarantee must buy

• from

I bought this game not knowing anything about Tom Clancey, and not owning any other first person shooter games. And I'm not the type to play Xbox all day. In fact I rarely play Xbox by myself, but now that I own Splinter Cell, I can't get enough.
Ubi Soft has really put a lot of effort into this game, and it shows. This game is extremly detailed in every aspect including graphics, sound effects, level design, and game play. It has everything from a laser microphone to spy on your enemy's conversations, to remote controled cameras that you can stick to walls, to soda cans found in trash cans that can be thrown across a room to destract your enemies. Ubi Soft really juiced every last drop of power out of the Xbox for this game.
If you are looking for a fast paced shoot em' up game, then this is not the game for you. Splinter Cell is a game of stealth, so you can't just jump around the corner and pop a couple of rounds in each enemy's head while the others wait for you to finish him off before they atack. You only use your gun in this game as a last resort. You may think that not being able to shoot every person you see wouldn't be fun, but Ubi Soft came up with many creative and non-leathal ways to immobilize you're enemies.
So if you're looking for a high quality game, that you won't be able to stop playing, Splinter Cell is the game for you.

• from